“With Spotify coming to America, Pandora Media debuting on Wall Street, Rdio possibly hooking up with Facebook and Slacker Radio making a splash, the spotlight on online music has never been more intense. Today, SFGate.com jumps into the competition with SFGate Radio, a free online radio service designed to spotlight local musicians and performances. SFGate is the online home of The Chronicle and both are owned by Hearst Communications Inc.”

“Earbits, one of the more recent entrants to the online radio game which raised $605,000 in seed funding last month, has announced a partnership with SFgate.com, home of the San Francisco Chronicle. The service — dubbed SFGate Radio — will allow listeners to find regional shows and focus exclusively on Bay Area artists and those touring through the region.”

SAN FRANCISCO, California — In response to the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami inNorthern Japan, a group of concerned citizens from the Bay Area’s Hawaiian and Asian Americancommunities have organized Kōkua Japan San Francisco, a fundraising concert in Japantown’sPeace Plaza from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2011. “Kōkua” means “help” in Hawaiian.

Donations to the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund will be solicited at the free event, which will also raise funds through raffles of donated merchandise and T-shirt sales. The nonprofitNorthern California Cherry Blossom Festival will collect the monies and deliver them to theJapanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC), which administers theearthquake relief fund along with Union Bank. One hundred percent of the fund will be distributedfor direct assistance to residents of the affected area of Japan.

Local merchants have donated items for raffle prizes, while Hawaiian Airlines is flying in 200 special“Aloha” T-shirts for sale with the help of the Hawai’i Lieutenant Governor’s office, which iscoordinating the islands’ Aloha for Japan fundraising effort. The T-shirt, which uses a rising sun forthe “o” in “Aloha,” will sell at Kōkua Japan San Francisco for $25, from which the $15 profit per shirtwill go to earthquake relief. Sponsors include Aloha Warehouse, Colortone Digital, Hawai’iChamber of Commerce of Northern California, Susie Kagami, Osaki Creative Group, and SoundInnovations. Thanks also go to Sandy Lee of the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department.